Tag Archives: duracell

After watching my video review of Apple’s Magic Trackpad yesterday, Tomi wrote in to give me the 4-1-1 about the “Apple” batteries I mentioned. The record has been set straight: they are not “Apple” batteries. They are rebranded Sanyo Eneloops. Tomi uses these in a Canon PowerShot SX1 IS camera and loves them. Apparently they have a much better life than many of the rechargeable counterparts on the market.

The funny thing is that if you buy the batteries through Eneloop, you’ll spend about half as much as you would buying them through Apple… for the same exact batteries. By all accounts, these batteries do work better than most of the others you could buy. They last longer – and cost less – than the Energizer or Duracell equivalents.

Using rechargeable batteries just makes sense. You’re saving money AND saving a little space in our landfills. I personally haven’t used disposable batteries in quite some time now. What about you?

I was surprised – our battery interview turned out to be quite informational. PC World also has a handful of iPod battery tips, although I believe the suggestions trancend Apple’s platform. Here are my takeaways from both pieces:

Don’t leave your battery-driven devices plugged in all the time.

Let your batteries drain completely before recharging them.

On the iPod, “Standby” doesn’t save as much juice as “Pause” does.

Turning off sound equalizers may also increase battery life.

Batteries drain quicker in warmer environments.

My biggest beef with batteries is that they’re not all removable, they’re not all rechargable, and they’re not as interchangable as they should be. Moreover, I’m wholly unimpressed when I can’t charge a device by USB.